Into the Sealed Research Building

Late morning in the Abandoned Research Building. By my standards, it was still early, but my mental space had been rowdy since dawn.

"You're! So! Late!"

The moment I entered the mental space, Adel glared at me with her hands on her hips. Of course, it didn't feel threatening at all. Her lips were pursed, but her eyes sparkled with delight.

"Sorry—"

"You usually stay way longer! Why do you leave so quick these days? Even the night before last, you were only here a bit, and I had to update the mini-game records all by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠myself...!"

"Oh, did you beat your Running Man 4 record again?"

"How'd you know? I already hit the 20-minute mark?"

"Whoa, that's impressive. Congrats."

"Thanks... no, that's not the point right now!"

Adel reached out and shook my clothes wildly.

"Are you bored of me already?"

I sighed at her sidelong glance, checking my reaction.

Feels like I'm raising an organic puppy instead of a spirit.

"Nah, I've just been a bit busy lately."

"...Liar. I remember you saying it was vacation last time."

"..."

Playing dumb after that would've made me feel like a total jerk, so I laid out my plans right away. I'd released a new game outside a while back, and now I was making another one. Right now, I was gathering materials for it. Adel tilted her head, looking confused.

"Scary stuff... as a game? People in this era actually enjoy that?"

I grinned at her expected reaction.

"That's why I'm out collecting data—to check."

"Collecting..."

Adel mumbled blankly, then suddenly leaned in close.

"So you're gonna see tons of fun stuff, right?"

"I said it's scary."

"Whatever! If you say so, Chase, then it's gotta be fun!"

Her face lit up with genuine excitement as she spun her own imaginings. I'd wondered why she'd gone quiet so suddenly—she must've been saving her energy for this moment.

"Exactly. I've been neglecting you, so I gotta make it up."

My body twitched at those words. Was it just me, or did that sound a little off?

"...Yeah. I've been slacking lately, so I'll hear you out."

"When you come back here today, tell me first thing."

"Tell you what?"

"What you saw, what you felt, and how you'll turn it into a game!"

It was such a simple, trivial request. Honestly, stripping it down, wasn't it just asking for some chat time with her?

Refusing this would make me the bad guy.

I nodded, promised I'd return that evening, and slipped back to reality.

#

"Why're you spacing out again today?"

Yaruru, who'd ordered brunch from the innkeeper, mumbled around a mouthful of bread.

...Ordering brunch while eating bread.

"Nothing."

"Munch. Suspicious, you know."

Nom nom—

"You shouldn't suspect people first thing in the morning."

"Gotta soothe my anxious heart somehow, you know. Nom."

Fair enough. Today was the day we'd wrap up our Academy City vacation, as Yaruru worried, and head into the Abandoned Research Building. Considering that, her attitude made sense.

"Hmph, you know."

With that, she aggressively demolished the brunch that had just arrived, and we left the inn.

It had been four days since vacation started. Academy City's morning was still buzzing with energy.

"It's not even lunchtime, and there are already drunk people, you know."

"First-years? Nah... fourth-years maybe."

But the vibe died down as we neared the academy. Especially once the carriage stopped and we passed through the main gates.

"...First time coming into the academy during break, and it's already scary, you know."

Yaruru sidled up beside me, glancing around warily.

"No one's around at all, you know."

"There should be plenty in the research building or admin offices, though?"

Especially the grad students—vacation didn't exist for them.

"...Now that you mention it, that's even scarier, you know."

Guess perceptions of grad students were the same here as in my past life. I spared a second of silence for those poor souls, then looked around myself.

My first feeling was alienation. The student-packed spaces echoed only with our voices. A few figures—staff or grad students—moved inside distant buildings, but compared to usual, it was like nothing.

A slight chill and creeping unease settled in. Just the absence of people turned the familiar strange.

I think we called this the uncanny valley back home or something. Familiarity turning alien.

This is gold. Gotta note it...?

"Eek... Kinda creepy, but exciting ahead, you know."

I'd been about to jot the idea on my magic panel, but Yaruru was already scribbling detailed notes on the Infinite Memo Pad I'd gifted her. Peeking, it was mostly her emotions and space descriptions.

Makes sense. Horror as a genre isn't tapped here yet, so can't blame her.

"Nice—"

"What's nice, you know? I'm already feeling off, you know."

"Isn't that the good part?"

"...Did your head finally go weird, you know?"

"Hey, no badmouthing."

The Abandoned Research Building was pretty far from the academy center. Probably because research came with noise and accidents—unavoidable.

Word was, it got sealed after an accident during experiments anyway.

Mysterious research gone wrong in a blink—nearly ten casualties, plus most evacuees lost too.

Just rumors... but that's not the point.

The key was the scary rumors spreading, leaving it half-abandoned.

Chatting as we walked the academy grounds, we entered the old school wing—now unused. At its tail end sat the sealed building.

"..."

Classic.

Ivy climbed the weathered stone walls; some windows were boarded from inside.

"The polite wording makes it scarier, you know..."

"Hm. Wanna head back?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"No way, you know."

"...Then stop tugging my sleeve?"

"You dragged me here, so take responsibility, you know."

Part of me wanted to charge in and spook her, but we were here for research. I gripped the handle and pushed gently.

Screeeeech——

The empty hallway amplified the creak. Yaruru's hand tightened instantly.

"Ugh... How neglected is this place, you know..."

Screeeeech—— Thud.

Screek— Thunk.

"Kyaaaaah—!!!"

I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠opened and closed the door a few times for atmospheric BGM vibes, and her whole body vibrated.

"Waaah— You're a jerk, you know!!!"

"Oops. Sorry."

I barely calmed her rigid form and entered.

The air's different.

Cooler than outside, thick with the musty scent of long-sealed spaces.

"Ugh— Now the real start, you know."

"Alright. Let's do this."

Yaruru tiptoed down the hall, heels barely lifting; lab doors lined both sides. Walls bore faded signs, scorch marks, ripped poster remnants.

"Definitely different from regular buildings."

I nodded, scanning the lab plaques. Lecture halls or practice rooms had life—desk dents, sneaky graffiti. That contrast was tasty too, but this was a special zone for intellectuals' experiments. Irreplaceable vibe.

No wonder past-life horror loved labs and research rooms.

Bzzz—

As we inspected the hall...

Bzzz—

A light at the far end flickered with an irritating buzz.

Bzzz— Fsssh... Ding.

"Ho ho."

"......"

Yaruru crushed my arm in her grip.

"S-s-scary, you know."

"Memo."

"Huh?"

"Weren't you gonna take notes?"

"..."

She bristled at my words. I distracted her, recharged her courage, then pulled a small memo pad from my belt.

Common sense that magic panels glitch in places like this. Better for immersion anyway.

Scribble scribble.

Seeing me, Yaruru whipped out her Infinite Memo Pad and frenziedly jotted her feelings.

"No need to memo right now, you know!"

"Gotta capture the on-site vibe. Later, it won't feel real."

"Hmph!"

We finished the hall and headed to the second floor. Right at the stairs: protective gear scattered on the dust-piled floor.

"Chase, that room..."

Yaruru pointed past the gear to a doorless lab—unlike the others.

"Wha— Oh."

The room was blackened everywhere.

"Barely any furniture left... Fire or explosion?"

"...Sigh. No door, so no clue what research, you know."

"Yeah... true."

Swallowing disappointment, we left and scoured the floor, but only one door ajar—a lounge, not a lab.

"Bummer."

"Relief, you know."

"...?"

"......"

Half-open door had Yaruru grumbling.

"Those are the worst, you know."

"Why?"

"Closed ones let you give up, you know..."

I eased the door open smoothly—unlike the front gate. Inside: two long tables, worn sofas, cracked old magic communicator, wall-mounted whiteboard.

"Whoa— That's a magic communicator from before I was born, you know!"

"Like 40-50 years old, right?"

Antiques intrigued briefly, but the whiteboard hooked me.

I muttered unconsciously at the notes.

"Third floor..."

Luchel's words from days ago resurfaced. Urgent footsteps from the third floor sometimes.

"Gonna go up, you know?"

Yaruru, abandoning the communicator, asked from beside me.

"We're here to second floor—might as well hit third."

"..."

I ruffled her teary pout and left the lounge.

Bzzzzzzt, zzt, bzzz——

Multiple lights flickered irregularly now. Tears beaded in Yaruru's eyes at the eerie sight.

"Eek—"

"Shh."

"Waaah..."

Something clicked as an idea brewed. I clamped Yaruru's mouth hastily.

Sound. Light. Warnings. Unknown space. Scant clues.

"Ah. Got it."

"Mmph mmph—"

"Oh, sorry."

"What is it, you know?"

"Harvest."

"Harvest means we can leave soon, you know?"

Grinning, I headed to the stair hall.

"That's down, not— Huh?"

The third-floor stairs were sealed. Not flimsy boards like windows, but thick chains and magic circles—proper blockade.

"Oho, intriguing."

Half-rusted chains, faded magic circle spots.

Even better vibe.

The half-decayed seal amplified the abandoned feel.

The anxiety that it could break anytime?

"But weird, you know."

"What?"

Her head tilt piqued my curiosity too.

"Look under the magic circle—it's not blocking up from second to third. The opposite."

"Opposite...?"

Sealed to prevent descent from third to second?

Not against intruders—but containing something?

Thud.

Rumble rumble thud— Tat tat tat——

Tap, tap, tap—

Between our frozen selves, sounds rushed—like many somethings moving fast beyond the seal.

On the third floor.